New allegations against Samuel Eto'o

Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation, faces new allegations regarding the handling of funds received from the Russian counterpart following the friendly match between the two national teams in Moscow in October 2023.

According to the British newspaper The Times, documents and invoices reviewed by the paper indicate that two payments of €455,056 and €112,514, totaling over €567,000, were transferred to a personal account in the name of Eto'o at Qatar National Bank in Doha.

Former officials of the Cameroon Football Federation have demanded clarifications regarding the fate of these funds, asserting that there are no accounting or banking documents, according to their account, proving that they were later transferred to an official account of the federation or recorded in its books.

Ghaybai Gatama, a former member of the executive committee of the federation, had submitted a complaint to FIFA's ethics committee regarding the case more than a year ago, without receiving a response so far.

In contrast, Samuel Eto'o and the Cameroon Football Federation have not issued an official comment on the allegations so far, while FIFA has denied any interference from its president Gianni Infantino in the work of the judicial bodies, affirming the independence of the Ethics Committee. This case adds a new chapter to the controversy surrounding Eto'o's management of the Cameroon Football Federation, at a time when he has a strong and public relationship with Infantino.

A report from The Times indicates that the amount was related to the friendly match between Russia and Cameroon, which ended with a victory for the Russian national team. Meanwhile, former officials are demanding an official clarification regarding the fate of the funds and the reasons for transferring them to a personal account instead of the federation's account.